The Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion (SC-MSC) is a 6-week adaptation of the empirically-supported 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program designed to begin the cultivation of the skills of self-compassion. SC-MSC was developed by Kristin Neff, PhD, the pioneering researcher in the field of self-compassion and Christopher Germer, PhD, a leader in the integration of mindfulness, compassion, and psychotherapy.
You will learn some of the principles and practices of mindful self-compassion, so you can better relate to and care for yourself, both physically and emotionally. Research has shown that these techniques can help improve our emotional well-being, improve our ability to cope with life’s challenges, lower levels of anxiety and depression, promote healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and lead to more satisfying personal relationships.
The course is a heartfelt, nurturing program that uses meditations, group discussion, and experiential exercises, to explore the following themes:
- Treating ourselves with more kindness and self-compassion,
- How we can work skillfully and kindly with the often-harsh, inner critic,
- Motivate ourselves with compassion rather than criticism,
- Working with difficult emotions,
- Bringing compassion to ourselves and the people around us, and
- Connecting with our values and setting intentions, so we can live our lives with an increased sense of fulfillment and purpose.
Cultivating self-compassion in this way can fundamentally shift how we relate to ourselves. Instead of meeting our imperfections and challenges with self-blame and -criticism, we can bring a kind and mindful attention to our experiences (thoughts, emotions, and sensations) and a sense of love and care to ourselves, right in the midst of difficult situations. With practice, we can strengthen this inner quality of presence, connectedness, and kindness to improve emotional well-being and build resilience.
We invite you to join us in this experiential, heart-felt course that is designed to teach you skills and resources for loving yourself, supporting yourself and having your own back – especially during difficult times.
Victoria Pawlowski, Registered Clinical Counsellor
Kristy Williams, Family Physician
“I found the dynamic between you and Kristy very helpful. You are both unique in your own ways, yet complement each other so wonderfully. The mix of your energies, humour, kindness, and delivery of the material was very balanced and it just worked for me.”
“One of the most helpful aspects of the program was hearing about the other participants’ experiences, and responses to the exercises. That part embodied for me the idea of “common humanity”. I think for me it was also important to be witnessed. I long to speak up and participate, but feel very self-conscious whenever I do, so stretching that muscle in such a safe and welcoming space was of great encouragement to me. The reminder that we’re not broken and don’t need to be fixed helped me to continue to participate.”
